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First Annual Sandy Catalano Open
SANDY CATALANO OPEN RAISES MONEY FOR SCHOLARSHIPS East Islip, NY - May 16, 2010: The 1st annual Sandy Catalano Open was held at East Islip Lanes and over 400 bowlers competed for more than $25,000 in prizes. The two day event crowned three separate champions; Rich Ambrosino, Holtsville, NY won the 49 & under scratch title and $2,500, Tim Regan, East Northport, NY won the senior scratch title and $1,500, and Alex Ware, Brooklyn, NY won the handicap title and $1,500. But the biggest winners were the youth of Long Island as over $2,000 in scholarship money was raised. The Sandy Catalano Open was created by the Catalano Family to remember a very special person, Sandy Catalano, who passed away in February, 2009. Sandy dedicated his entire life to his family, business, and bowling- especially coaching youth bowlers. To honor Sandy's accomplishments, both as a bowler and person, a tournament was born. The Sandy Catalano Open will be an annual event with proceeds donated to The Sandy Catalano Scholarship fund. What makes the Sandy Catalano Open unique is it is actually three separate competitions with three separate champions crowned. The richest event was the 49 & under scratch tournament which attracted some of the best bowlers in the tri-state area. But in the end it was a local house bowler that won the title. Rich Ambrosino bowls in league at East Islip Lanes and he promised the Catalano family whatever money he won would be donated back to the scholarship fund. Rich came through in a big way by winning the title and its $2,500 top prize. The final shootout was exciting as Rich shot a 265 to defeat two great bowlers; Brian Soto of Kew Gardens, NY who rolled a 236 and earned $1,250 and Long Island bowling hero Brian Ziesig of Levittown who earned $700 by shooting a 235. A total of 17 bowlers advanced to the finals which featured a beat half-the-field elimination format. The second event was the senior scratch tournament and their final match was probably the most exciting duel of the weekend. Tim Regan of East Northport threw 3 strikes in the tenth frame to defeat Don Hicks of W. Babylon, NY 258-256. Tim earned $1,500 for his victory while Don took home $750 for second place. A total of 12 seniors advanced to the finals with Mike Dioguardo rolling the highest senior series of the event with a 744. The largest entry count of the three events was the handicap tournament which drew an amazing 211 entries. Alex Ware of Brooklyn took home the title and won the $1,500 top prize. The final four shootout was exciting as Alex rolled a 272 (with handicap) just getting by James Walsh of Glen Cove, NY who rolled a 259 with handicap. Jim earned $750 for second while Mike Angelus of Centereach finished third with a 257 handicap game and earned $550. Rounding out the top 4 was Kevin Dekenipp of Shirley, NY who won $450 with a 244 handicap game. A total of 27 bowlers advanced to the handicap finals. The 1st annual Sandy Catalano Open was considered a huge success and plans are already underway for the 2011 event. There were many tears throughout the weekend as everyone remembered what a great bowler, bowling coach, and person Sandy was. The Catalano family would like to thank all of the sponsors and volunteers that made the event possible. For complete results please visit the website; www.scholarshiptournament.com. |
| How to apply for a scholarship |
| Scholarship Fund |
| Sandy Catalano Bio |
| Download Brochure |
The Catalano Family would like to thank you for your interest in The Sandy Catalano Open. It is our goal to create an annual event on Long Island that is the most anticipated and prestigious tournament of the year. Our purpose with this event is to honor the legacy of Sandy Catalano and to help underwrite young bowler's post high school education. Sandy Catalano was an avid bowler with many accomplishments. Details of his life can be found in the bio section of the website. His greatest joy in bowling was when he was coaching high school bowlers. It is for this reason a scholarship fund has been created in his name. Sandy also enjoyed major bowling events. He was fortunate enough to compete in many and was a constant casher in most events. It is our goal to make this annual event one of the richest tournaments of the year and a "don't-miss" competition for all bowlers. Therefore, we are guaranteeing the top prizes of all three tournaments regardless of entries. Our goal is to raise enough money each year to award two $2,500 scholarships; one to a male and one to a female high school bowler. We encourage all high school bowlers to apply for the scholarship. The only requirements are you must be a senior, plan to continue your education after graduation, and participated on a Long Island high school bowling team for a minimum of two years. If you have any questions about the scholarship fund, application procedures, or how the scholarship winners are determined please visit the appropriate sections on this website. All monies raised will be held in an account run by the Long Island division of the United States Bowling Congress (USBC). This same entity will assist in distributing the actual scholarships every year. There is going to be a lot of action including 3 separate tournaments, brackets, side pots, 50-50 raffles, and a silent auction. If you would like to donate products or money, or help promote The Sandy Catalano Scholarship Fund please click on the "contact us" button and we will be glad to speak with you. If you would like to enter the tournament you can do so by clicking the "enter tournament" button. |
